Girls Rock! Julia Watt, Zeiro Richards, Jacey Ashton
By Nat Grant. Originally Published in Drumscene Magazine in 2018
Girls Rock! Melbourne is part of a worldwide movement for teenagers and adults to learn and hone their skills on an instrument, gain experience playing as part of a band, and have group and individual sessions with great local mentors. Melbourne drummers Julia Watt and Jacey Ashton have tutored at eight Girls Rock! camps between them, and Zeiro Richards has been a camp participant for the past two years. Here, they share their thoughts on the Girls Rock! experience.
Julia Watt
Melbourne based drummer Julia Watt says that, for her, "music is one of the most humbling things to do … you know no matter how good you become, there will always be someone better than you. You will always be a student as there’s so much to learn. It’s fascinating and wonderful!” she says. It’s fitting, then, that Julia has become a mentor for young artists through the Girls Rock! camps and programs.
Based on a model that originated in Portland, Oregon, over 15 years ago, the Girls Rock! experience comprises a week-long camp where participants “form their own band, learn an instrument, watch live music performances, participate in creative workshops, and write an original song to be performed at the end of the week at a showcase.” The program “aims to empower young female, trans, and gender diverse youth aged 10-17 through music and education.” With camps for young people previously held in Melbourne and Canberra, the first camp aimed at adults was held in Melbourne in 2017, and new camps in Brisbane and Sydney began in September 2017 and in January 2018.
Julia has been drumming since 1995. “I was most drawn to drums because none of my friends wanted to play them and none of the other girls in my class seemed at all interested. I liked being different!” she says. Julia is currently a member of Melbourne garage band La Bastard and surf-rock instrumental band Hot Wings. Both bands released albums in 2017. Her new band Moody Beaches are set to release their first single in March and debut EP later in 2018.
Julia says “I heard about this amazing project via my partner and her old band mates Sally and Shannon from The Reprobettes, when they told me the details of this rock camp I could barely believe my ears. I thought it sounded like the most amazing thing a teenager could possibly do with their spare time! I wished something like Girls Rock! had existed when I was a teenager!” Julia has been an instructor at two camps since then, giving drum lessons and helping out with band rehearsals. “Everyone at camp is at such a different level, we have people who have never picked up an instrument to people who have been playing for years, sometimes they can even play multiple instruments. The best thing about rock camp, is you don't need any experience, you are in a safe space and encouraged to have a go and give it your best shot. As long as you're having fun you're doing the right thing!”
Campers work on a variety of skills over the week: musical, technical, and otherwise. “There are so many things the campers learn” says Julia: “they have one hour of instrument instruction per day, two hours of band rehearsal and different workshops each day. To name a few - body image, African percussion, screen printing, zine making, stage confidence, songwriting.......and so many more! Each camp has different workshops and lunch time performances from a wide range of inspiring local artists.” The most recent Melbourne camp in January 2018 included pedal and synth workshops, t shirt designing/printing, and a lunchtime performance from Jen Cloher and her band.
Julia is full of encouragement for young and up and coming musicians, to get out there and play as much as possible, and to not give up. “Keep doing what you’re doing!” she says. “I don’t have any regrets or wish I’d done anything differently. I was always a very passionate and dedicated student and almost never turned down gigs (even when I should have!). I have played with so many different people over the years and it all really helped my playing. I pushed myself in my playing and have met and worked with so many different people and personalities, you really never stop learning.”
Zeiro Richards
Zeiro Richards is a 17 year old drummer who has attended three camps since 2017. They describe Girls Rock! as “a music program that runs for a week.. the participants are female, transgender, and gender nonconforming kids aged 10 to 17. Girls Rock! is just for kids but there is also Lets rock! which is for 18+.”
Being a part of the camps has been an important part of Zeiro’s musical education to date, which has also included playing clarinet and singing. Zeiro says “a day at camp is creative, fun, and safe. The day starts with sign in then a ‘sound check’ which is where the leader volunteers will tell us about what is happening during the day. In the past we have had workshops on body image positivity, songwriting, self defence, and learnt about cultural appropriation. After a workshop participants then go to band rehearsals and start creating their own song to perform at the end of week showcase, which is also run by Girls Rock! … Because Girls Rock! is a not-for-profit organisation they often hold events and music gigs to raise money for participants to get scholarships and half scholarships.”
Zeiro describes Girls Rock! as a great a way for students to increase their confidence as well as technical skills. “My music experience started when I was about 8 and I decided to join the school band to play the clarinet. I played and learnt how read music, write music and work in a orchestra … Music became my life line through primary school and into high school where I discovered online streaming services and YouTube. I always had my headphones in and was always downloading new music daily.” Zeiro struggled to perform with confidence in the past but “Girls Rock! really changed that … I’m now taking drumming lessons and hoping to get in to a cool band next year when I start at a new school. I listen to completely different music to when I was 14 thanks to heaps of epic recommendations from friends and I'm more confident when I get up on stage.”
Jacey Ashton
Sydney born, Melbourne based drummer Jacey Ashton has been playing drums for nearly 20 years, and is a regular member of Melbourne surf rock band Black Bats, and the all female marching band The Red Brigade. “I used to watch Video Hits” she says. “Adrian Young, the drummer of No Doubt - I used to watch him and just be really into the fact that he was so lively and something about that drew me in…” Jacey is a regular session drummer around Melbourne. She has a degree in audio engineering, is an avid drum builder and restorer, and makes effects pedals for amplified instruments.
Jacey has been involved in Girls Rock! camps in Melbourne and Canberra as a drum instructor and band coach since 2017. She loves the inclusivity of the program, and the variety of opportunities on offer: “The kids get together and they get to join a band, meet other musicians, learn an instrument, do workshops centred around music, and then perform at a cool venue.” Previous Girls Rock! gigs and fundraising concerts have been held at the Bella Union and Northcote Social Club in Melbourne, The Factory Theatre in Sydney, The Foundry in Brisbane and The Ainsley Arts Centre in Canberra.
Jacey describes a typical day at camp: “generally they do a warm up in the morning to get the campers excited and pumped - something like punk aerobics … then instrumental lessons with the group split into older and younger campers.” For the drummers, a group of four of five participants will have a combined lesson, each with their own drum kit. The instructor has a kit out the front and they all play together. "Generally we start with rudiments” says Jacey, “then we move on to learning a song … I’ve taught them (the campers) 1/4 note, 8th note and 16th note grooves and fills.” Each drummer can play along at their own level depending on how much experience they have. After lunch are the workshops (some of Jacey’s favourites so far have covered confidence on stage, selecting gear, using effects pedals, and music industry pathways), and the all important band rehearsals, culminating at a gig at the end of each camp.
Jacey is a big advocate for establishing a good practice routine, and for learning to read music. “Every day I practice single strokes, double strokes, and paradiddles” she says. “I like practicing on a pad - but because I was always self taught I used to have trouble breaking up rudiments around the kit. So that’s what I’m doing more now - doing rudiments around the kit and really mixing up my hand configurations and sticking patterns. I’m trying to get better at transcribing. And then sometimes I try out wacky grooves and try new stuff too.” Her advice to drummers who are just starting out is to “make sure you have really good technique and learn how to read as early as you can.”
Find out more about Girls Rock! camps, gigs, and activities at http://www.girlsrockmelbourne.com/
Jacey Ashton photo by Lara Stephenson Julia Watt
